1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to sport fishing equipment. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a pail-shaped bait container in combination with a flexible cover composed of a mesh material having structure for securing the peripheral edge of the cover to the container. The cover is configured to retain the lid on the container, to form a well within the container to facilitate removal of bait from the container, and to strain the bait out of the water poured from the container so that the water may be replaced without risking loss of the bait stored therein.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
One of the most established and common practices in the sport of fishing is to utilize live bait to attract the prize catch. Consequently, bait containers are an essential component of a fisherman's tackle. Conventional live bait containers have taken a variety of shapes and sizes. However, a typical container presents a pail-shape and has a lid for closing the open top of the container. Traditionally, a bait container is commonly formed of styrofoam or some other light-weight, yet durable material. These relatively light lids are often blown off by strong winds, such as during transport in the back of a pick-up truck. Further, such lightweight containers have a definite propensity to tip over, spilling the contents of the container. When a container tips over in the passenger compartment or trunk of a vehicle releasing its contents into the vehicle, some of spilled bait may elude the fisherman causing an undesirable odor in the vehicle. Similarly, when placed on a dock or uneven ground, a tipped container releases the bait into the lake or surrounding ground. Since live bait is expensive and by its nature evasive, it is highly undesirable to spill the contents of the container.
Additionally, in situations involving minnows or other naturally evasive live bait, the size and rigid walls of traditional containers tend to hinder ready removal of the bait from the container. In order to retrieve bait from the container, a fisherman may have to aggressively pursue the bait often resulting in injury or death to the bait, which is clearly afoul of the use of live bait. Further, in situations involving minnows or other live bait indigenous to water, it is necessary to periodically replace the water within the container. Replacing water in conventional bait containers without losing some or all of the bait contained therein has proven arduous.
Bait containers have been provided with a flexible netting which may be drooped interiorly of the container to form a well within which the bait may be stored, thereby limiting the area in which the bait may elude the fisherman and allowing the fisherman to manipulate the netting as necessary to facilitate removal of the bait. Additionally, the netting may be used to strain the bait from the water poured out of the container so that the bait is retained in the container as the water is replaced. However, these conventional nettings are attached to the container in such a manner that the amount of netting drooping within the container is not adjustable; thus preventing the fisherman from varying the size of the well.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide netting to retrofit existing containers so that such containers may also provide the well-forming and water-straining features. There is also a need for a netting attachment that allows the size of the well formed thereby to be adjustable by the fisherman. Further, there is a need for retaining a lid on a bait container, which is susceptible to removal by strong winds or slight tilting of the container. Finally, there is a need for containing the bait when the container tips over and spills its contents so that the bait is not lost.